SSBY kicked off in Faridkot

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 20 

The administration on Tuesday launched the Ayushman Bharat-Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-SSBY) for 1.15 lakh families in the district. 

This health insurance scheme was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Kumar Saurabh Raju and Vice-Chancellor, Baba Faridkot University of Health Sciences, Dr Raj Bahadur.

The DC said as per the 2011 general census, the scheme will benefit 1,15,933 families of the district. 

A family can avail up to Rs 5 lakh per annum health insurance benefit under the scheme. Officials had started making golden cards for the beneficiaries of the scheme from August 1. All entitled persons can avail the benefits under the scheme from August 20. Under it, a beneficiary family can avail free of cost treatment in every government and on-the-panel private hospitals.

The cap of Rs 5 lakh per year of free treatment can be availed by more than one member in the family. 

If Rs 3 lakh is spent on the treatment of a family member in a year, the other family members can avail the benefit of free treatment up to Rs 2 lakh that year, said the DC.

The state government's health scheme is embroiled in many political controversies in the past over one year. While the SAD is accusing the state government of changing the name of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to AB-SSBY in the state, there is an allegation of delaying in the start of this new “repacked” scheme as the Congress government wanted to start it on August 20 on the birth anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

Free Treatment up to Rs 5lakh per year

• A family can avail up to Rs 5 lakh per annum health insurance benefit under the scheme. Officials had started making golden cards for the beneficiaries of the scheme from August 1.
• All entitled persons can avail the benefits under the scheme from August 20. Under it, a beneficiary family can avail free of cost treatment in every government and on-the-panel private hospitals.